Multitouch parameter and gesture user interface employing an LED-array tactile sensor that can also operate as a display

• US 9,019,237 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2009
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NRI R&D Patent Licensing, LLC (Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lester F. Ludwig
• Inventors: Ludwig, Lester F., Lim, Seung Eun
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): ILUYOMADE, IFEDAYO B
• Application Number:
  US12/418,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,214 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

A user interface employs a tactile sensor comprising an LED array, the user interface producing a rich flux of independently-adjustable interactive control parameters, rates of change, and symbols derived from these as well as tactile shapes, patterns, gestures, syntaxes, and phrases from each of one or more regions of contact or proximity. At least three independently-adjustable interactive real-time control parameters, plus rates and symbols, from the touch of a single finger tip. Running sums can be employed during scans so individual sensor measurements need not be stored. The tactile sensor array can be partitioned into sections or modules with separate scanning loops and/or processors. The LED array can serve as a visual display. To reject ambient light, the LED array can be configured to emit and respond to modulated light reflected from a user finger to LEDs configured, at least at a moment of measurement, to act as a photodiode.

Claims

1. A user interface system comprising:

a two-dimensional optical tactile proximity sensor array comprising a two-dimensional array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) wherein at least one of the LEDs is configured to emit modulated light;

an arrangement for scanning the two-dimensional tactile sensor array, the scan producing a corresponding array of measurement values, wherein the array of measurement values is a two-dimensional data array;

a processor for processing a plurality of measurement values obtained from the array of measurement values obtained from scanning the two-dimensional array of LEDs;

a post-scan computation algorithm for deriving at least three independently-adjustable interactive control parameters responsive to at least displacements or angles of contact of a single area of threshold contact or threshold proximity; and

an algorithmic element for handling of regions of threshold contact or threshold proximity having non-convex shapes,

wherein the processing is responsive to the modulated light emitted from the at least one LED as reflected from a user finger and sensed by at least one other LED configured, at least at a moment of measurement, as a photodiode;

wherein the system provides output control signals, the control signals responsive to the independently-adjustable interactive control parameters as measured by the two-dimensional array of LEDs;

wherein each of the LEDs is configurable to be in a receiving mode to sense the modulated light and to be in a light emitting mode to transmit the modulated light;

wherein each of the LEDs is configured to be sequentially selected to be set in the receiving mode with adjacent LEDs to the sequentially selected LED configured to be set in the light emitting mode, wherein the LEDs configured to be set in the light emitting mode are modulated by a waveform and the user interface responds to only modulated light signal components extracted from a received light signal modulated by the waveform.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the two-dimensional LED array also serves as a display.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the single area of threshold contact or threshold proximity is that of a single fingertip.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises:

an algorithmic element for identifying a plurality of isolated regions of threshold contact or threshold proximity, and

an algorithmic element for each of the isolated region of threshold contact or threshold proximity the computation of a plurality of running sums from selected measurement values or functions of selected measurement values for that respective isolated region of threshold contact or threshold proximity,

wherein the system derives a plurality of independently-adjustable interactive control parameters from each isolated region of threshold contact or threshold proximity of a plurality of parts of the hand.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element for calculating the rate of change of one or more of the independently-adjustable interactive control parameters.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element implementing shape recognition functions.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element implementing gesture recognition functions.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element for calculating one or more symbols.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element implementing syntax functions.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the tactile sensor array is comprises a plurality of partitioned sections.

11. A user interface system comprising:

a two-dimensional optical tactile proximity sensor array comprising a two-dimensional array of light emitting diodes (LEDs);

an arrangement for scanning the tactile sensor array, the scan producing a corresponding array of measurement values, wherein the array of measurement values is a two-dimensional data array;

a processor for computation of a plurality of running sums from a plurality of processed measurement values obtained from processing the array of measurement values obtained from the scanning the two-dimensional array of LEDs;

a post-scan computation algorithm for deriving at least three independently adjustable interactive control parameters responsive to at least displacements or angles of contact of a single area of threshold contact or threshold proximity using the measurement values obtained from the two-dimensional array of LEDs; and

an algorithmic element for calculating a rate of change of one or more of the independently-adjustable interactive control parameters, wherein the two-dimensional LED array also serves as a display, and

an output to output control signals, the control signals responsive to the independently-adjustable interactive control parameters as measured by the two-dimensional array of LEDs;

wherein each of the LEDs is configurable to be in a receiving mode to sense modulated light and to be in a light emitting mode to transmit the modulated light;

wherein each of the LEDs is configured to be sequentially selected to be set in the receiving mode with adjacent LEDs to the sequentially selected LED configured to be set in the light emitting mode, wherein the LEDs configured to be set in the light emitting mode are modulated by a waveform and the user interface responds to only modulated light signal components extracted from a received light signal modulated by the waveform.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the modulated light emitted from at least one LED configured to be in the light emitting mode is reflected from a user finger and sensed by at least one other LED configured to be in the receiving mode.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the single area of threshold contact or threshold proximity is that of a single fingertip.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises:

an algorithmic element for identifying a plurality of isolated regions of threshold contact or threshold proximity; and

an algorithmic element for each of the isolated region of threshold contact or threshold proximity the computation of a plurality of running sums from selected measurement values or functions of selected measurement values for that respective isolated region of threshold contact or threshold proximity,

wherein the system derives a plurality of independently-adjustable interactive control parameters from each isolated region of threshold contact or threshold proximity of a plurality of parts of the hand.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element for handling of regions of threshold contact or threshold proximity having non-convex shapes.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element implementing shape recognition functions.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element implementing gesture recognition functions.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element for calculating one or more symbols.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises an algorithmic element implementing parsing functions.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the tactile sensor array is comprises a plurality of partitioned sections.